Muslim advocates: State lawmakers should represent all Tennesseans

Paul Galloway, executive director of American Muslim Advisory Council, talks about plans for a prayer and community day at the state capitol.
Holly Meyer

The Nashville-based American Muslim Advisory Council is hosting a Friday event at the Capitol.

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Paul Galloway, of the Nashville-based American Muslim Advocacy Center, talks to volunteers during an event preparation meeting at Casa Azafran. The American Muslim Advisory Council is hosting a Muslim community day at the Tennessee State Capitol.(Photo: Holly Meyer/The Tennessean)Buy Photo

But this year, Muslim leaders plan to take a proactive approach to the new legislative session with midday prayers and a community day at War Memorial Auditorium and the Tennessee State Capitol.

The Friday event is organized by the American Muslim Advisory Council, a Nashville-based nonprofit that bridges the gap between the Muslim community and government and other private groups.

They want to send the message that the 110th General Assembly, which convened Tuesday, should represent all Tennesseans, including Muslims, said Paul Galloway, the executive director of the American Muslim Advisory Council.

"We’re trying to say that, ‘Look we’re here, we’re engaged in the process,’" Galloway said. "The whole idea is to let the Tennessee Muslim community know that the state capitol is their place just like anyone else’s, and they should feel welcome and at home in there just like everyone else."

The event, in part, is a response to President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and how that might impact legislation introduced in Tennessee, said Galloway, who also is the executive director for the Nashville-based advocacy organization, American Center for Outreach. He is bracing for an aggressive session.

Donald Trump presidency

“We would be remiss not to increase our civic participation,” Galloway said. “The fear that I have as an American is that if one faith community can have its rights and ability to worship freely and freedom of conscience compromised, what’s that going to mean for the Constitution down the road and for other faith communities?”

Fear and worry settled over the Muslim community following the November election because of Trump’s campaign rhetoric, including talk of a Muslim ban and a Muslim registry. In recent decades, the community also has had to regularly dispel the false narrative linking all peaceful adherents to terror groups.

Paul Galloway is executive director of the American Center for Outreach, an advocacy group for civic participation of Muslims in Tennessee.(Photo: Submitted)

On Friday, Muslims from across the state, including school groups, are expected to attend the event. It starts with an interfaith prayer, followed by capitol tours and civics lessons. The council invited lawmakers to the event, which falls on an otherwise quiet day at the legislature. A Muslim prayer service caps the day. Yasir Qadhi, the Memphis Islamic Center imam and a Rhodes College professor, will deliver the sermon.

Any person of goodwill is welcome to attend, Galloway said. He hopes the day demystifies the political process for Muslims, and has a similar effect for those who’ve never attended a Muslim prayer service or interacted with a Tennessean, who believes in Islam.

Stephanie Teatro, co-executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said Friday's event, which her nonprofit is not helping organize but still supports, will provide lawmakers an opportunity to directly engage with their constituents.

"Hopefully Friday’s event is a reminder as legislators kick off this session that their constituents include Muslims, immigrants and refugees, but also a growing number of U.S. born, non-Muslim Tennesseans who won’t stand for hate and bigotry towards other Tennesseans," she said.

Since 2011, a handful of state lawmakers have made a calculation that "scapegoating Muslims specifically was a winning political strategy," Teatro said.

Sen. Bill Ketron, Murfreesboro, who has sponsored several bills some view as anti-Muslim, disagreed.

"That’s their opinion…they weren’t (attacks on Muslims)," he said.

State legislation

In 2015, Ketron and Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, introduced a bill aimed at preventing “no-go zones,” a widely disputed idea that some portions of cities or countries are controlled not by the government but by Islamic radicals.

That same year, Ketron and Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, also introduced a bill that some in the Muslim community feared would give state and local investigators the ability to strip the belongings of mosques, even if they hadn’t done anything wrong.

There have also been several bills in recent years related to education, including one from Rep. Matthew Hill, R-Jonesborough, that prohibited indoctrination and proselytizing while teaching students about world religion.

The introduction of such bills is what has led to Tennessee's reputation as a "fertile ground" for national groups targeting Muslims, refugees and immigrants to test some of their policies, Teatro said.

Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, who has been among the biggest backers of the state's refugee resettlement lawsuit, balked at the notion that Tennessee is an unwelcoming state.

"I understand that there are those groups that are paid to foment that kind of unrest. That’s their job," he said. "But that’s not our job. We are a welcoming community, provided that those we welcome are here legally and lawfully and intend to work with us toward our common goals."

Ketron said the bills he introduced were coming from "the same angle" as President-elect Donald Trump, which he said is to protect the country from terrorists.

In general, Ketron said he has nothing against the religion of Islam, nor the plan for Friday's event.

"My views are, one of my best friends is a Muslim," he said. "I think we live in a country where our laws allow you to worship and if they want to come here...they’re welcome to come here."

Beyond the legislation, there have also been other incidents that have led to Muslims feeling targeted.

Last year, Lynn was criticized after she handed out a DVD to her legislative colleagues warning, among other things, that Muslims used "American Mosques as war factories."

Changing attitudes

In preparation for Friday's event, Galloway held a volunteer meeting Saturday night to sort out logistics and teach the seven Muslim community leaders who showed up about how to effectively talk to the media. They flipped off the lights in the meeting room at Casa Azafran and listened to Galloway's presentation.

Eman Elkholy, 30, was among them. She thinks it’s part of her responsibility as a Muslim and a community leader to shatter negative stereotypes about her faith and those who believe in it.

The busy Nashville International Academy vice principal used to turn down invitations to speak about Islam. But following the election of Trump, Elkholy realized she needs play an active role in improving religious literacy and changing attitudes, including pushing back against the false narratives perpetuated through the divisive 2016 presidential campaign and the media.

"He is president. We can’t change that. However, we can change the mindset of others," Elkholy said. "What people don’t know they fear, and once they fear, that’s where the anger and the hatred comes out."

Reach Holly Meyer at 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.Reach Joel Ebert at 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.

If you go:

What: 110th for 100 percentWhen: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. FridayWhere: War Memorial Auditorium, 301 6th Ave. N.Details: Jumah prayer and community day is organized by the American Muslim Advisory Council. The Friday midday prayer starts at 1:05 p.m.